Walter h



(No Model.)

W. H. KNIGHT.

ELECTRIC RAILROAD.

No. 338,082. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

WITNESSES //v vz/vmx N. PETERS. Pholo'lilhognphar, Washinghm D. (L

Numb STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALTER H. KNIGHT, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILROAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,082, dated March16, 1886.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALTER H. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York, N. Y., have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Electric Railways, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in certain devices by means of which in anelectric railway wherein one or both of the conductors are inclosed in aslotted conduit the contact device extending into said conduit to thesaid conductor or conductors may be guided into either one of two branchconduits.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the track andconduit-slot. Figs. 2 and 3 represent the main conductors and contactdevices, and Fig. L is a side elevation of the said contact devices.

In this invention it is my object to dispense with any movable pointseither upon the slot or upon the conductors and yet be enabled to guidethe contact-plow at will. I therefore have both the conductors and theedges of. the slot stationary at the branching-point and provide meansfor directing the plow into the proper slot.

Various means for directing the plow and the contacts may be employed.In Fig. 1 I have shown the track-switching point 0 somewhatin advance ofthe branching-point of the slot, so that the vehicle from which the plowis suspended will be turned into one branch or the other before the plowreaches the branching-point of the slot, and the plow will have atendency to follow in the same direction with the vehicle. In the samemanner the branching-point of the conductors is placed behind thebranching-point of the slot. The resiliency of the brushes givessufficient flexibility to the plow to allow it to follow the slot andconductor at the same time, though I do not limit myself to this meansof gaining the desired flexibility. Instead of this arrangement,however, the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4 may be used.

P and P represent two plows, such as are described and claimed in anapplication filed by me on or about May 7, 1885. These plows are shownherein simply to illustrate this invention, and no claim upon theirconstruction is made, nor is it intended that their appearance hereinshall prejudice in any Way any claims made upon them in said pendingapplication. These plows P P are pivoted at the points 1) 1) about twolateral axes in the manner described in said application. These axes arecarried by a frame, D, which has a swinging movement about thelongitudinal axis (1 d. A handle, E, may be added to the frame so thatit may be turned about the said axis and thereby force the two plows toone side or the other of the slot. \Vhen, now, the vehicle approachesthe branching-point of the slot, the driver, by means of the said handleE, can throw the plows to one side or the other, so as to direct theminto the proper slots. As the conductors are also fixed, it will benecessary that the contact device should be of a length sufficient tobridge any breaks that may be occasioned by the branchmg.

In Figs. 2 and 3, A and'B represent the two main conductors. A Brepresent the corresponding conductors in one branch, while A 13represent the corresponding conductors in the other branch.

In Fig. 2 a long contact-brush is shown, which is of a length sufiicientto bridge the break between the main conductor 13 and its correspondingbranch conductor, B.

Instead of having one long brush, a double plow, such as is shown inFigs. 3 and 4, may be employed. By means of this double plow contactwill always be maintained, one plow being in contact with the conductorswhile the other is passing over the break.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination,in abranching electric railway, of a branching slotted conduit paralleltherewith having its edges stationary at the branchingpoint, an electricconductor thereon parallel with the slot and also stationary at thebranching-point, a contact device extending from the vehicle of therailway into the slotted conduit to the conductor therein, and means fordirecting said device from the main into the branch slot.

2. The combination, in a branching electric railway, of a branchingslotted conduit parallel therewith, having its edges stationary at thebranching-point, an electrical conductor therein parallel with the slotand also stationary at the branching-point, a contact device 2- aaaoazextending into said slot, and having freedom of lateral movement, withmeans for directing said device from main to branch slot.

3. The combination, in abranching electric railway, of a branchingslotted conduit parallel therewith, an insulated conductor therein, andacontact device extending from a vehicle on the railway through the slotinto the conduit, and a track-switch for directing a vehicle from themain to a branch track, the said switch being placed in advance of thebranching-point of said slot.

4. The combination, in a branching electric railway, of a branchingslotted conduit parallel therewith, a branching insulated electricconductor inclosed therein, and a flexible contact device extendingthrough the slot to the conductor, the branching of the slot being inadvance of the branching of the conductor.

5. The combination, in a branching electric railway, of a vehiclethereon, a branching slotted conduit parallel therewith, an insulatedelectric conductor inclosed therein, a contact ductor from main tobranch conduit before its contact device passes from main to branchconductor.

'In testimony whereof I sign this specification, in-the presence of twowitnesses, this 30th day of June, 1885. V

WALTER H. KNIGHT.

\Vitnesses:

G. RENAULT, HERBERT KNIGHT.

